Aniyah blog

AT&T Tethering Police Crack Down on iPhone Users

t already.

AT&T has launched an official crackdown on smartphone users who have been tethering to their laptops illegally, using up precious bandwidth that generates revenue from paying customers. AT&T sells tethering plans and the company expects smartphone users to pay if they want to connect mobile devices.

AT&T's E-Bust

AT&T first sent text messages to customers illegally tethering. One of the messages reads, "AT&T Free Msg: Did you know tethering your Smartphone to a computer requires a tethering plan? Pls call 888-860-6789 for details or visit att.com/dataplans."

Those simple text messages were followed by e-mails with a more serious tone. The bottom line is this: If AT&T customers don't stop illegal tethering, AT&T is going to stop it for them. The wireless carrier will start auto-charging customers, beginning March 27.

"Many AT&T customers use their smartphones as a broadband connection for other devices, like laptops, netbooks or other smartphones -- a practice commonly known as tethering. Tethering can be an efficient way for our customers to enjoy the benefits of AT&T's mobile broadband network and use more than one device to stay in touch with important people and information," reads AT&T's e-mail.

"Our records show that you use this capability, but are not subscribed to our tethering plan ... if we don't hear from you, we'll plan to automatically enroll you into DataPro 4GB after March 27, 2011. The new plan -- whether you sign up on your own or we automatically enroll you -- will replace your current smartphone data plan, including if you are on an unlimited data plan."

How Does AT&T Know?

Whether you've been busted or you just want to sign up for a tethering plan, you'll pay $20 a month on top of your monthly smartphone data plan. That means tethering on top of your normal mobile broadband usage will ultimately cost you either $35 a month or $55 a month.

For that rate, you'll be able to tap into the smartphone's 3G capabilities to power your laptop for 4GB of data. The DataPro 4GB Tethering Plan AT&T is automatically assigning to noncompliant, trespassing customers runs $45 a month and includes the standard data plan.

The AT&T crackdown could cut down on Apple iPhone jailbreaks, since jailbreaking the phone is usually driven by the desire for illegal tethering. iPhone users were turning to an app Cydia developed called MyWi, which allows the illegal tethering. At $19.99, MyWi is a bargain compared to the additional monthly fees. It's not clear how AT&T has determined which customers have been illegally tethering, but there are no reports so far of customers receiving the warning message erroneously.

Carbonite Releases iPad App, Updates iPhone and BlackBerry Apps

anytime, anywhere access" family with the beta releases of Carbonite Access for iPad and Carbonite Access v2.0 for the Apple iPhone and Apple iPod touch. In addition, Carbonite has introduced an updated version of its Carbonite Access app for RIM BlackBerry smartphones.

Carbonite Access for iPad is now available for free in the App Store. The new app lets Carbonite subscribers browse, view, and share all of their backed up files that are supported by iOS. You can also stream any music that you have stored in the cloud to the tablet PC.

Released in concert with the new iPad application are Carbonite upgrades for its existing iPhone, iPod touch, and BlackBerry apps. These previously released apps have the same photo viewing and music playing capabilities as Carbonite's new iPad and existing Android applications.

"Carbonite's mobile applications make it possible to carry all of your digital files in your pocket," said David Friend, CEO of Carbonite. "Other cloud services invite you to upload a subset of your files, but Carbonite has everything, even if you back-up multiple computers. You never have to worry that the file you need is not in the cloud. That's the advantage of unlimited backup with anytime, anywhere mobile access."

Carbonite customers can download the iPad, iPhone, iPod touch and BlackBerry applications/updates from the App Store, BlackBerry App World, or the Carbonite Web site. In addition to mobile apps, Carbonite offers Web access to backed up files from any computer via Carbonite.com.

Discovery Bay Signs Licensing Agreement With Workman Publishing To Develop Gallop! The Game Based On The Popular Book

s New York Times and international bestseller, GALLOP!, to life in a board game. GALLOP! The Game, featuring the magic of Scanimation®, will be available nationwide in July 2011.

Perfect for ages 3 and up, GALLOP! The Game includes a game board with a magical Scanimation door, two dice (colors and numbers, depending on the age and ability level of the players), five animal movers (horse, cat, turtle, butterfly, and rooster), and four guess tokens. So, which animal will win the race? Players take turns opening the Scanimation door to see which animal will move around the track on each round. The first player or players to strut, gallop or flutter their way around the track wins.

Beginning this year, Discovery Bay Games will license and distribute English-language editions as well as foreign language editions of GALLOP! The Game.

"With the worldwide success of GALLOP!, we saw an exciting opportunity to incorporate the magic of the book into a board game,” said Craig Olson, CEO of Discovery Bay Games. “GALLOP! The Game is a perfect first game for preschoolers who are already so familiar with the book.”

"GALLOP! The Game is the natural next step in the evolution of Scanimation technology – a step that keeps its end-user – preschoolers – beautifully in mind," said Raquel Jaramillo, Director of Children's Publishing at Workman. "The Game has the same magical appeal as the book, and nicely incorporates new elements that make it such an appealing game."

About Rufus Butler SederRufus Butler Seder is the inventor of Lifetiles, glass-tiled murals that appear to come to life when the viewer walks by; he’s installed them at the Smithsonian, Sea World, Union Station, and other museums, aquariums, train stations and ocean liners around the world. He is also the founder of EyeThink, Inc., a company that develops and produces a line of toys and gifts using the technologies he’s invented.

About Workman Publishing CompanyWorkman Publishing Company, a medium-sized independent publisher, is the creator of award-winning calendars, cookbooks, parenting/pregnancy guides, and fun, educational children’s titles, as well as gardening, humor, self-help, and business books. From our What to Expect series and Page-A-Day Calendars to the iconic 1,000 Places to See Before You Die and Gallop!, the one-of-a-kind, moving picture book for kids, our products inspire readers and other publishers alike. For more information, visit .

About Discovery Bay GamesBased in Seattle, Discovery Bay Games makes award-winning and innovative games, puzzles, apps, and tablet and IOS game accessories that suit all ages and interests. The company’s mission is to bring friends and families together to play, laugh, and interact. Discovery Bay is led by experienced game developers and professionals from a bevy of game companies including Cranium, Hasbro, Mattel, Screenlife, and Wizards of the Coast. In addition to developing original content, Discovery Bay partners with internationally recognized brands and licensors such as Broadway Video/Saturday Night Live, The Smithsonian Institution, Highlights ForChildren, Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus, GALLOP!, Norman Rockwell, University of Oxford, and many more. For more information, visit .

Media contactNatalie DentDirector of PR / Discovery Bay GamesOffice: (206) 547-1441 / Cell: (206) 605-1802Email: natalie(at)discoverybaygames(dot)com

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NatalieDiscovery Bay Entertainment(206) 547-1441Email Information

Direct Solutions(TM) New Exclusive North American Distribution Partner for MultiGuard Protect(R) EC

announces their agreement with AgriGuard Company LLC to become the exclusive North American distribution reseller of MultiGuard Protect® EC, a natural contact emulsifiable concentrate nematicide designed to control harmful nematodes on turf.

Loveland, CO (PRWEB) March 30, 2011

Agrium Advanced Technologies Direct Solutions™ announces their agreement with AgriGuard Company LLC to become the exclusive North American distribution reseller of MultiGuard Protect® EC, a natural contact emulsifiable concentrate nematicide designed to control harmful nematodes on turf.

Turf nematodes are found in different regions across North America and can cause significant wilting and root damage, resulting in dry, dead patches in the middle of otherwise healthy turf. MultiGuard Protect EC offers golf course superintendents and other turf management professionals a non-phytotoxic way to control harmful turf nematodes and promote a healthy root system with increased nutrient and water uptake while stimulating the growth of beneficial organisms in the soil.

“We are constantly looking for environmentally responsible solutions to many of the issues facing our customers, and MultiGuard Protect EC’s non-phytotoxic composition allows for safer handling and unrestricted use while still effectively controlling harmful turf nematodes,” said Andrew Mittag, President, Agrium Advanced Technologies.“We are pleased to add this environmentally responsible product to the full suite of plant protection products Agrium Advanced Technologies Direct Solutions offers to the turf and horticulture markets across North America.”

MultiGuard Protect EC is an emulsifiable concentrate, and when mixed with water can be sprayed directly on turf at the start of the growing season or during times of high nematode pressure. Its natural composition allows MultiGuard Protect EC to be reapplied up to five times per season as required, giving golf course superintendents and other turf professionals an economical alternative to existing registered nematicides’ in-season applications.

As the new direct-to-market sales division of Agrium Advanced Technologies, Direct Solutions has more than 100 industry field professional representatives specializing in the professional turf and horticulture industries. With broad access to Agrium Advanced Technologies’ global leadership in enhanced-efficiency fertilizer technology combined with the best agronomic and economic solutions tailored to customers’ specific conditions, budgets and delivery schedules, Direct Solutions was created to set the new standard of excellence in service and solution delivery.

About Agrium Advanced TechnologiesAgrium Advanced Technologies is a strategic business unit of Agrium Inc., a major retail supplier of agricultural products and services in both North and South America and a leading global producer and marketer of agricultural nutrients and industrial products. Agrium Advanced Technologies is the leading manufacturer and marketer of slow- and controlled-release fertilizers and micronutrients in the Agriculture, professional Turf and Ornamental, consumer lawn and garden, and specialty agriculture markets. Agrium Advanced Technologies' brands include: ESN®, POLYON®, XCU®, NITROFORM®, NUTRALENE® and DURATION CR® slow- and controlled-release fertilizers, ULTRA YIELD® Micronutrients, AMP™ and PRECISE® controlled-release plant protection. These products utilize proprietary advanced generation technologies to control nutrient release for improved plant growth and environmental performance.

MultiGuard Protect® EC is a registered trademark of AgriGuard Company LLC, Cranford, NJ.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:Steve Williams, Manager, Communications970.292.9017

Find out more:or

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Steve WilliamsAgrium Advanced Technologies Direct Solutions970-292-9017Email Information

Libya rebels say seeking to lift oil sanctions

A senior Libyan rebel official said on Monday rebels were in "active discussions" to have sanctions lifted on purchases of crude produced from east Libyan fields no longer in Muammar Gaddafi's control.

"We hope they will be lifted for the liberated areas as quickly as possible," Ali Tarhouni, a rebel official in charge of economic, financial and oil matters in rebel-held Benghazi, told Reuters. "Not with everybody, but with some countries."

A U.S. Treasury Department official said rebels could sell Libyan crude without being subject to U.S. sanctions if they conducted the transactions outside the National Oil Corporation and other sanctioned entities in Gaddafi's administration.

Tarhouni said most of the 100,000 to 130,000 barrels per day (bpd) of crude the rebel-held eastern oil fields are capable of producing will be exported because the refining capacity in eastern areas is still relatively low.

On Sunday, Tarhouni said Gulf oil producer Qatar had agreed to market oil produced from east Libyan fields no longer under Gaddafi's control.

In the interview with Reuters on Monday, Tarhouni said the marketing deal with Qatar had been signed, but added:

"There is still some details to be worked out, some technical details -- the type of oil, the type of shipments." He said he expected a first oil shipment would be exported within a week but could not say where the shipment would go.

On Monday, Qatar became the first Arab country to recognize Libya's rebels as the people's sole legitimate representative, a move that may presage similar moves from other Gulf states.

U.N. diplomats on Monday said U.N. sanctions on Libya do not bar anti-government rebels from exporting Libyan oil as long as they bypass firms linked to Gaddafi.

FUEL SHORTAGES

Tarhouni said some areas in the rebel-held east faced fuel shortages, but the region as a whole was operating at about 70 percent of normal.

He said a team had inspected damage in the oil exporting terminal at Brega, recaptured by rebels over the weekend, and were trying to get liquid natural gas flowing for domestic use.

"They (the team) didn't really give me the time when they would start, but I believe the best scenario is that we will have a flow of liquid gas in the next 24 hours, maximum 48 hours," he said.

It was less clear when oil facilities at the Ras Lanuf terminal would resume operating, he said, although early signs were that the damage there was not as bad as some rebels had feared.

He said rebels had started staggering contracts for necessary oil byproducts such as gasoline over the last week, which should help assuage the shortages.

"My expectation is that we will have shortages, and it's going to be spotty in many areas. But my goal is to smooth it out as soon as we can. I think to really do this right, we're talking about two to three weeks to be operating on more like a normal capacity."

(Reporting by Alexander Dziadosz; Editing by Ibon Villelabeitia and David Gregorio)